Family Farmers and Ranchers Receive Less than 20 Percent of 4th of July Food Costs, NFU Infographic Shows

WASHINGTON (July 1, 2016) – As consumers gather together to celebrate the July 4th holiday, National Farmers Union (NFU) is making sure family farmers and ranchers are recognized for growing and producing the food served at cookouts and barbecues across the country. In a special holiday edition of the NFU Farmer’s Share, the organization points out the mere pennies producers receive for every food dollar spent by consumers to make an All-American favorite, the cheeseburger.

According to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, consumers will spend approximately $2.45 to purchase the food items to cook a cheeseburger this holiday. Yet, the family farmers and ranchers that work tirelessly to produce the food will only receive 45-cents of that cost. The remaining $2 accounts for food supply chain costs, such as marketing, processing, wholesaling, distribution and retailing.

“It is a common misconception that producers are driving up the price of food and getting rich off consumers’ food purchases, but that’s not true. There is a difference between the price of food at the grocery store and the market price of commodities,” said NFU President Roger Johnson. “The majority of food costs account for all the steps of getting the food from the farm gate to your plate, while the family farmers and ranchers who actually produce your food receive pennies of the dollar.”

On average, farmers receive approximately 17.4-cents for each dollar spent on food at home and away from home in the United States, and for some food products, the farmer’s share is significantly less. According to the July 4th infographic, the cost of a bun for your cheeseburger is about 37-cents, but farmers will only receive a penny of that cost.

“Whether gathered at a cookout or out to eat, the food we all enjoy with family and friends this 4th of July all started with America’s family farmers and ranchers,” Johnson concluded.

View the 4th of July Famer’s Share infographic here. More information is available on the NFU website at nfu.org/farmers-share.

National Farmers Union has been working since 1902 to protect and enhance the economic well-being and quality of life for family farmers, ranchers and rural communities through advocating grassroots-driven policy positions adopted by its membership.